Feb 14 Be My Valentine - How To Make DIY Heart Sugar Cubes

It's that time of year again, the big V. Men and women all over the country will be professing their love, popping the question and saying 'I do' on this wonderfully romantic day. So, to celebrate, I have been playing around with all of the most wonderful things in life: sugar and pink, and all things nice (which is just what I’m made of, unless you ask any of my family), and I’ve brought to you a super cute project: heart-shaped sugar cubes! Perfect for wedding favours on your big day, as a personalised element of afternoon tea (hen party idea), in a ‘will you be my bridesmaid’ box (because bridesmaids will have to make you loads of cups of tea to aid you throughout the planning!) or as a little extra reminder to your someone special on this oh so heart-themed day. Extremely cheap to do, with no specialist equipment required (apart from a heart-shaped mould, which I got for £2.88 from eBay), and wonderful results that’ll get everyone talking. Yay!

You will need:

- Granulated sugar (half a cup filled this tray)

- Food colouring

- Water (a tsp)

- Bowl

- Fork

- Heart-shaped mould (available online, or in baking shops)

NB: Unhelpfully, I’ve used a traditional non-gel food colouring here, but gel is universally recommended to be better. It goes much further, so is more economic, affects the texture less, and the taste is less distinctive. Again, they’re so easy to get your hands on online!

Method:

1. Put half a cup of sugar in a bowl, followed by ¾ of a teaspoon of water – I used a quarter tsp measure to ration myself. This is also only a guideline, as I ended up needing just over a full teaspoon.

2. Add a tiny bit of food colouring in whatever colour you like. If you’re using liquid, non-gel colouring, just be really careful with your portion: it only requires the tiniest bit. If you’re using a gel colouring, pop it in the sugar with the aid of a cocktail stick. A little goes a long way! 3

3. Mix it all up with a fork until the colour’s spread through and the sugar is sticking together in a crunchy paste-type consistency. You’ll notice the change in consistency. If you pick a bit up and it doesn’t crumble when pressed between your finger and thumb, you’re there!

4. Push it into your mould. I spooned some out and then spread it across the holes as if I was some award-winning artisan chocolatier, but the crucial part is packing it down into each mould so that it binds together. If each well is only loosely full, the top part will stick and give you a sugar heart, but it will only be about 2mm thick, and the rest will still be a gooey sugary mess underneath. I used a teaspoon to really push it down into each well, making sure it was tightly packed.

5. And now, leave it to stick! The method I followed for inspiration advised an hour, but I found an hour did essentially nothing to my sugar cubes, so I lost a couple of comrades along the way. I ended up erring on the side of caution and leaving them for a full day.

6. Once set, release them from their mould onto a sheet of baking paper. Be careful with the pressure you use to release them: they may be stuck but they’re only made of sugar! I eased mine out gently well by well. (They didn’t fall out into the paper in a heart-shape either. I just thought it looked artistic). Leave them out of the mould for a while, to adjust to life outside and harden to the harsh realities.

7. And there you have it! Little heart-shaped sugar cubes in whatever colour you’d like, the perfect addition to your big day already so filled with love! Pop them in cellophane bags with a specialised sticker for favours, pop them in an organza bag and put it in a personalised mug alongside some teabags to ask your bridesmaids, or replace the boring sugar cubes at the venue with them in an abundance. Spread some love!

Don't forget to comment with your picutres below, post them on Facebook or Instagram, we'd love to see what you do with these sweet treats! Happy Valentines Day.